With the Collapse of the Iran Talks, Trump Hints at One Card He Could Play in Response

Matt Vespa | April 12, 2026 7:00 AM

Vice President JD Vance attempted to negotiate with the Iranians in Islamabad, Pakistan. They negotiated for 21 hours, but no agreement was reached on Iran’s uranium enrichment and nuclear weapons ambitions. This suggests that the next phase of Operation Epic Fury could happen soon, which would involve a devastating wave of airstrikes more intense than any previously carried out.

There is another card President Trump could play. The US Navy has entered the Strait of Hormuz, where it has begun mine-sweeping operations. The Iranians warned they couldn’t fully open the waterway because they forgot where they placed the mines, or so they say. Not what you want to hear from a nation that desires nuclear weapons. The point is, we could stay in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has no navy. Should we initiate a blockade?

Via JustTheNews:

If Iran refuses to accept the final deal the United States offered Saturday, Trump could bomb Tehran back to the “Stone Ages” as he vowed. Or he might just reprise his successful blockade strategy to choke an already teetering Iranian economy and ratchet up diplomatic pressure on China and India by cutting them off one of their key sources of oil.
Ironically, the massive USS Gerald Ford carrier that led the Venezuelan blockade is now in the Persian Gulf after a brief hiatus for repairs and crew rest after a deadly fire. And now it joins the USS Abraham Lincoln and other major naval assets.
In short, Trump simply could out-blockade Iran’s hold over the Strait of Hormuz, experts said.
It would be very easy for the US Navy to exert complete control over what does and does not go up and down the Strait now,” the Lexington Institute’s national security expert Rebecca Grant told Just the News. “I've heard about 10 ships have moved in the last 24 hours. One of them was a reflagged Russian tanker, and we know that cargos have gone out to China, to India, and we've seen some inbound traffic.
“If Iran gets intransigent, then absolutely, the US Navy can set up with great overwater surveillance … and watch everything that goes in and out of that Strait and you'll have to ask the US Navy if you want to move past Kharg Island or past that narrow part by Oman,” she added.